As a culminating activity for our Earth and Space Systems unit, our student teacher, Mr. Smith, organized a field trip to the Ontario Science Centre! After exploring the Exhibit Hall, we participated in the "Rocks and Minerals" workshop to unearth the science of rocks and minerals and use techniques practiced by geologists to identify samples and discover the physical properties of various rocks and minerals. Scientist Orlana, who conducted the workshop, even had a real meteorite from space for the students to examine! We concluded our trip with a viewing of the IMAX film, A Beautiful Planet, which portrayed a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before! Scientist Nini showed us how to design stable structures to withstand a variety of forces. In the first activity, students built structures of different configurations and tested their stability with an earthquake simulator. Next, students identified different ways to keep a tall, narrow structure from toppling over. As a fun side activity, students used popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners to create an object that could balance on one point. Before the last activity, the amount of weight a beam bridge could hold was tested. The final challenge involved building an open frame structure out of narrow cylinders of newspaper that could hold as many math textbooks as possible. Our class record was 10 textbooks! (The all-time record for Scientist Nini was 14 books.) May the Force Be with You(r Structure)!Scientist Natalie worked with the Grade 5s in my class and Ms. LaFreniere's class to explore the states of matter: solids, liquids, and gasses. In the first experiment, students observed what occurred when water was added to different substances and determined what state of matter is hair gel. For the second experiment, the behaviour of different liquids at room temperature was studied. Chemical reactions of different substances were explored in the third experiment. In the final experiment, the physical properties of different substances were recorded.
In the meantime, the Grade 4s practiced the 3 Rs by removing all the tape from our plastic bridge experiment so that the straws could be reused for future design challenges. On our trip to the Ontario Centre, we participated in the "Pulleys and Gears" workshop to investigate how these simple machines make life easier by changing force, speed and direction to give users the mechanical advantage. After having lunch, we viewed the IMAX film, Journey to Space. which presented some of the greatest technological leaps in space exploration, including creating structures and developing self-sustaining travel needed to send humans to Mars within a generation. Then, it was time to let our curious minds wander free while exploring the many interactive exhibits! Scientist Elisa returned this year for our "Fluid Power" workshop. In the first activity, students explored how fluids have different densities. Next, students had a "fluid race" to determine whether the density and viscosity of a fluid are related (they aren't). For a special challenge, students had to figure out how to make a penny and a carrot float in water using salt, water, a cup, and spoon. Finally, students investigated whether a hydraulic (liquid powered) or pneumatic (gas powered) system was stronger. Turns out that hydraulic systems are much stronger as liquids cannot be compressed as much as gasses, allowing the input force to travel more quickly.
For our Systems in Action unit for Science, we visited the Ontario Science Centre to participate in the "Fun with Physics" workshop and view the IMAX film "Dream Big: Engineering Our World". We also had time to tour the Exhibit Hall and visit new and old hands-on interactive exhibits. At the Ontario Science Centre, we had the opportunity to participate in the workshop "Systems Inquiry" and view the IMAX film Hubble! During our Scientist in the School workshop on Fluid Power, we investigated the properties of fluids (e.g., density, viscosity, buoyancy) and observed how fluids can power systems (e.g., hydraulic and pneumatic systems). |
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